March 3, 2004

Kid Reporters on the Election Scene

Kid Reporters Carson, Danielle, Harsha, and Lily tell us about Super Tuesday in their states

John Kerry celebrates his Super Tuesday victory.

By Danielle Oberdier, Carson Satterfield, Harsha Viswanathan and Lily Wasserman

Harsha Viswanathan on the California Primary

One of the most important states polled on Super Tuesday was California, which is as precious as a goldmine to the candidates because it is represented by 370 delegates. The voting began promptly at 7 a.m., and continued until 8 p.m.

The fundamental reason the San Diego voters I spoke with felt that Kerry was the best choice for President was because of his experience in political and military affairs. As Cindy Davis put it, "John Kerry has a lot of principles and a heart that really feels for human rights. He’s also very intelligent." Kids also voiced their opinions at the polls. When asked, six-year-old Jonah Davis exclaimed, "John Kerry!" for the nomination.

Erma Luttrell, another voter I spoke with, believes that President George W. Bush deserves the right to stay in office for another term. Kerry supporters, on the hand, said they believe Kerry can successfully defeat Bush in November. The Golden State truly did its name justice on Tuesday, and delivered the gold to Senator Kerry.

Danielle Oberdier on the New York Primary

New York State holds a closed primary, which means that only registered Democrats were eligible to vote. I talked with a few voters at P.S. 198, a polling place at a public school in Manhattan. The school cafeteria had been transformed into a polling place, and kids attended their classes as usual.

Voters were passionate about expressing their views. Annie Thomas, 52, voted for Kerry "because he can beat President Bush…and he will beat President Bush. (We should) restore a Democratic candidate with integrity to the White House. Bush …(has) failed this country." David Kirkwood, 57, said the U.S. "has been going in the wrong direction for four years in every area."

Robert Kessel, 33, supported John Edwards, explaining, "I'm not sure that Kerry and Edwards are that different in their opinions, but I wanted to let the dialogue continue. I'd be okay with Kerry; anything but Bush." Voters were also concerned about the conflict in Iraq and the state of urban education.

Lily Wasserman on the Massachusetts Primary

In Massachusetts, we could not have asked for better weather on Super Tuesday, but even so, fewer than 25 percent of registered voters came to the polls! One thing that makes this election special for Massachusetts is that our state’s own Senator, John F. Kerry, is the leading candidate. Many people in Massachusetts supported Kerry for this reason. In the words of one voter, "He is, right now, representing Massachusetts and has done a good job of it."

The voters in Belmont, Massachusetts, a suburb about 20 minutes from Boston, had a range of opinions on which issue was the most important in this election. Some voted for their candidate because of his stance on health care. Other reasons for voters' decisions included the environment, the war in Iraq, taxes, or simply to get President Bush out of office!

Some voters I talked with voted for Senator John Edwards because they still want to have a choice between Democratic candidates. "There should still be a choice as we move our way towards the Democratic Convention," said one voter. Another said, "I voted for Kerry because I think he has the experience and numbers to possibly defeat the Republicans." Another supported President Bush because of his views on the war with Iraq.

Carson Satterfield on the Maryland Primary

I spent the morning of Super Tuesday in Monkton, Maryland, at St. James Academy and church to talk with voters. We discussed the candidates, the state’s new electronic voting system, and how voters felt about it. There were mixed emotions in all categories.

There were young voters, older voters, registered Democratic voters, registered Republican voters, and a handful of independent voters. My own polling place had a good balance of Republicans and Democrats at the polls.

"I voted for Edwards, but I probably won't vote for him (in the final election). I'll probably vote for Bush," said Eric Herwig, 58, of Monkton.

Edwards was popular, but Kerry seemed to have won over the majority of the Democrats in the area. "I voted for Kerry, because I'm not pleased with the state of our foreign relations right now. I feel like he's going to be a good person to get our relationship with the other countries of the world better," said Margaret Flowers, 41.

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